


The Silence

by Riot_Writes



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Angst, Enjoy!, F/F, Grieving, Hurt, Ive never written Andromeda so please forgive me, NOT HOLIDAY THEMED, Partial Nudity, Secret Santa, can you imagine basing christmas around angst?, not happening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-04
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:15:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22118491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riot_Writes/pseuds/Riot_Writes
Summary: Welp. I hope this is what you were looking for or at least suffices.
Relationships: Vetra Nyx/Female Ryder | Sara
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: MEFFW Secret Santa Exchange 2019





	The Silence

**Author's Note:**

  * For [natsora](https://archiveofourown.org/users/natsora/gifts).



It was quiet. Too quiet.

As cliché as it sounded, as soon as the doors hissed open the small walkway they hesitantly walked across only led to the inevitable. Sid had gotten them into this mess, and it was only a matter of time before the enemies discovered the source of who was hacking into their feeds, and there she was.

Ryder carefully made her way down the walkway, gun trained and ready. A woman stood behind Sid, in one hand she pushed the young turian towards the trio, and in the other held a grenade. Ryder hesitated a little at the circumstance, but kept her gun raised, even as they approached one another.

“Think carefully about your next move, Pathfinder.” Meriweather threatened, her thumb hovering just over the clip of the grenade, pulling Sid to a halt just a few feet from the trio.

At the sight, Vetra almost rushes, but Ryder extends her arm, stopping her from approaching. “That explodes, it takes you out, too.” Ryder calmly replies, lowering her arm from Vetra, placing her fingers back on the butt of her gun.

“You won’t let that happen.” Meriweather replies. 

“Vetra.” Sid whispers, her voice harsh and frightened. The chill makes Ryder tense, glancing at Vetra to see if she’ll make a preemptive move.

“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to get you out of this.” Vetra replies, staying where she stands. Ryder almost breathes a sigh of relief, instead righting herself and looking to Meriweather.

“Come on, that’s a kid you got there. She’s not a threat. Let her go.” Trying to reason with the enemy, it was always a possibility.

“She hacked my security. And she’s as tall as you are.” Meriweather rebuts, not arguing there. “Guns on the ground.”

Ryder casts a quick glance at Vetra, and she quickly nods. With Sid at stake, Vetra would do anything after all. Ryder slowly lowers, bending at the knee as she takes one hand off her gun, Vetra slowly following suit. Except… they had guns, and Meriweather didn’t, just a grenade with a timer. 

A short timer.

Ryder hadn’t anticipated that when she quickly grasped the barrel of her gun once more and fired, the bullet skimming Meriweather’s arm, making her toss the grenade. On instinct she tossed Sid forward, the turian following to her knees above the grenade….

\-------------------------------------------------------------- 

That was two weeks ago. Since then Vetra hadn’t spoken a word, much less left her room to interact with the rest of the crew. Considering the aftermath of the mission, Ryder let her be in peace. People grieved in different ways, granted Ryder had no idea how Vetra was going to overcome the loss, much less emerge back into society considering what had happened. Besides the overwhelming feeling that Sid’s death was Ryder’s fault, and she knew it.

Rather than face the issue head on, Ryder hid in her own room, avoiding even looking at the door to Vetra’s room whenever she did venture out. What would she even say?

“Sorry I killed your sister, but I miss you. Can we talk?” Although they sounded sincere, the words made a stone form in Ryder’s throat and she hung her head between her knees, wallowing on the comfort of her own bed. 

_“Perhaps talking would be best.”_ SAM’s voice murmured in Ryder’s ear, like a consciousness that reminded her she needed to put on some big girl pants. 

“I don’t know if either of us are ready for that quite yet, SAM. At least… I know she’s not.” Ryder mumbled, drawing her knees closer to her chest as she hugs her legs.

_“She is approaching your room.”_

“Wait… What?” Ryder pops her head up, her eyes immediately flying to the door as it hisses open on command. “Vetra!” Ryder immediately stretches her legs out, reaching the edge of the bed so she can stand to face the turian. “I…”

The rest of Ryder’s words are cut off by the sudden pressure of a mouth against her own. Any reason or sense of control quickly leaves as soon as long taloned arms wrap themselves around Ryder’s waist, drawing the small human closer. The edge of the bed hits Ryder’s knees and she lets herself fall, welcoming the embrace of the sheets as Vetra’s wondering talons find the hem of Ryder’s shirt, pulling the fabric upwards. 

Ryder sits up slightly, letting her shirt pull free over her head, Vetra chucking the shirt off to the side. Ryder reaches up, grasping the front of Vetra’s carapace and pulls her back down for another kiss. Talon hands fumbling with a bra clasp before giving up and carefully cutting the fabric and tossing it in the direction of the discarded shirt. 

The pressure of bodies and the hot breath against Ryder’s neck makes her whole-body tingle, drawing herself further up the bed and tugging the turian up with her. This is where she wanted it to be, just the two of them, tangled and breathy. Except one thing.

This wasn’t right. No matter how good it felt, how much Ryder had longed for it. This wasn’t anything like Ryder had imagined it to go, it wasn’t what she wanted; for either of them. She pressed a hand to Vetra’s front, gently pushing her.

“Vetra, please, we need to stop.” Ryder’s words didn’t reach her, the pressure returning with Vetra’s talon grazing down Ryder’s bare breast, a claw barely nicking a nipple. The sudden sharp pain making Ryder wince, closing her eyes, silently hoping Vetra will listen. 

“Stop!” A harder shove, so much so it catches Vetra off guard, her stumbling back on the bed. “I said stop, Vetra!” Vetra’s mandibles twitch in surprise, but then harden at the outburst.

“Why?”

Ryder sits up, pulling herself out from beneath Vetra and further up the bed, covering her breasts with an arm. “Because this isn’t right. We should be talking to each other not doing…” She gestures a hand between the two of them. “This. You’re grieving over Sid.”

“I’m --. I don’t want to talk about this.” She quickly snaps, Vetra making her way up the bed again to Ryder. She holds up a hand, stopping the turian’s advance.

“Well, I do. If all you want to do by coming here is have sex than you can leave because I won’t let it. You’re vulnerable right now.” Ryder begins, her voice pleading.

“I’m _fine_.” 

“You’re clearly not.” Ryder lowers her arm covering her breasts, revealing the small trickle of blood from the cut next to her nipple. Vetra’s eyes widen at the sight. “If you want to talk about the fact that I know you blame me for Sid’s death then I’m here to talk. But if you want to just come to me just as a stress relief, you can leave.” She covers herself again, pointing towards the door with her free hand.

“You want me to go back to hiding in my room?” Vetra demands.

“No, if you don’t want to face this the right way and actually talk to me… Then…” Ryder bites her lip, her whole body curling inwards as she looks away from Vetra, clutching her knees to her chest. “You can leave the Tempest.”

…

…

…

…

...

...

...

The silence only continued to ring in Ryder’s ears, long after Vetra left.


End file.
